Extending the CRESST-II commissioning run limits to lower masses

Motivated by the recent interest in light WIMPs of mass ~O(10 GeV), an extension of the elastic, spin-independent WIMP-nucleon cross-section limits resulting from the CRESST-II commissioning run (2007) are presented. Previously, these data were used to set cross-section limits from 1000 GeV down to ~17 GeV, using tungsten recoils, in 47.9 kg-days of exposure of calcium tungstate. Here, the overlap of the oxygen and calcium bands with the acceptance region of the commissioning run data set is reconstructed using previously published quenching factors. The resulting elastic WIMP cross section limits, accounting for the additional exposure of oxygen and calcium, are presented down to 5 GeV.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

The multiplicity of massive stars in the Orion Nebula cluster as seen with long-baseline interferometry

The characterization of multiple stellar systems is an important ingredient for testing current star formation models. Stars are more often found in multiple systems, the more massive they are. A complete knowledge of the multiplicity of high-mass stars over the full range of orbit separations is thus essential to understand their still debated formation process. Observations of the Orion Nebula Cluster can help to answer the question about the origin and evolution of multiple stars. Earlier studies provide a good knowledge about the multiplicity of the stars at very small (spectroscopic) and large separations (AO, speckle) and thus make the ONC a good target for such a project. We used the NIR interferometric instrument AMBER at VLTI to observe a sample of bright stars in the ONC. We complement our data set by archival NACO observations of \theta 1 Ori A to obtain more information about the orbit of the close visual companion. Our observations resolve the known multiple systems \theta 1 Ori C and \theta 1 Ori A and provide new orbit points, which confirm the predicted orbit and the determined stellar parameters for \theta 1 Ori C. Combining AMBER and NACO data for \theta 1 Ori A we were able to follow the motion of the companion from 2003 to 2011. We furthermore find hints for a companion around \theta 1 Ori D and a previously unknown companion to NU Ori. With a probability of ~90% we can exclude further companions with masses of > 3 Msun around our sample stars for separations between ~2 mas and ~110 mas. We conclude that the companion around \theta 1 Ori A is most likely physically related to the primary star. The newly discovered possible companions further increase the multiplicity in the ONC. For our sample of two O and three B-type stars we find on average 2.5 known companions per primary, which is around five times more than for low-mass stars.Comment: accepted by A&

Theoretical Study of Molecular Electronic and Rotational Coherences by High-Harmonic Generation

The detection of electron motion and electronic wavepacket dynamics is one of the core goals of attosecond science. Recently, choosing the nitric oxide (NO) molecule as an example, we have introduced and demonstrated a new experimental approach to measure coupled valence electronic and rotational wavepackets using high-harmonic generation (HHG) spectroscopy [Kraus et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 243005 (2013)]. A short outline of the theory to describe the combination of the pump and HHG probe process was published together with an extensive discussion of experimental results [Baykusheva et al., Faraday Discuss 171, 113 (2014)]. The comparison of theory and experiment showed good agreement on a quantitative level. Here, we present the generalized theory in detail, which is based on a generalized density matrix approach that describes the pump process and the subsequent probing of the wavepackets by a semiclassical quantitative rescattering approach. An in-depth analysis of the different Raman scattering contributions to the creation of the coupled rotational and electronic spin-orbit wavepackets is made. We present results for parallel and perpendicular linear polarizations of the pump and probe laser pulses. Furthermore, an analysis of the combined rotational-electronic density matrix in terms of irreducible components is presented, that facilitates interpretation of the results.Comment: 14 figure

Die deutsche Reichsgründung im Kontext der Europäischen Geschichte

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Hearing It Again and Again: On-Line Subcortical Plasticity in Humans

Background: Human brainstem activity is sensitive to local sound statistics, as reflected in an enhanced response in repetitive compared to pseudo-random stimulus conditions [1]. Here we probed the short-term time course of this enhancement using a paradigm that assessed how the local sound statistics (i.e., repetition within a five-note melody) interact with more global statistics (i.e., repetition of the melody). Methodology/Principal Findings: To test the hypothesis that subcortical repetition enhancement builds over time, we recorded auditory brainstem responses in young adults to a five-note melody containing a repeated note, and monitored how the response changed over the course of 1.5 hrs. By comparing response amplitudes over time, we found a robust time-dependent enhancement to the locally repeating note that was superimposed on a weaker enhancement of the globally repeating pattern. Conclusions/Significance: We provide the first demonstration of on-line subcortical plasticity in humans. This complements previous findings that experience-dependent subcortical plasticity can occur on a number of time scales, including life-long experiences with music and language, and short-term auditory training. Our results suggest that the incoming stimulus stream is constantly being monitored, even when the stimulus is physically invariant and attention is directed elsewhere, to augment the neural response to the most statistically salient features of the ongoing stimulus stream. These real-tim

Research of the structure of gallstones by IR-spectroscopy method

The composition of gallstones was studied by IR spectroscopy. It is shown that it is possible to establish the presence in the gallstones of such compounds as bilirubin and its salts, calcium phosphates, calcium carbonate, which are present in them in small amounts and difficult to determine

Quantum interference and multielectron effects in high-harmonic spectra of polar molecules

ISSN:1094-1622ISSN:0556-2791ISSN:1050-294

Identification of Stably Expressed lncRNAs as Valid Endogenous Controls for Profiling of Human Glioma

Background: Recent research indicates that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) represent a new family of RNAs that is of fundamental importance for controlling transcription and translation. Thereby, there is increasing evidence that lncRNAs are also important in tumourigenesis. Thereby valid expression profiling using quantitative PCR requires suitable, stably expressed normalisers to achieve reliable and reproducible data. However, no systematic analysis of suitable references in lncRNA studies in human glioma has been performed yet. Methods: In this study, we investigated 90 lncRNAs in 30 tissue specimen for the expression stability in human diffuse astrocytoma (WHO-Grade II),anaplastic astrocytoma (WHO-Grade III) and glioblastoma (WHO-Grade IV) both alone as well as in comparison with normal white matter. Our identification procedure included a rigorous bioinformatical selection process that resulted in the inclusion of only highly abundant, equally expressed lncRNAs for further analysis. Additionally, lncRNAs were classified according to their stability value using the NormFinder algorithm. Results: We identified 24 appropriate normalisers suitable for studies in diffuse astrocytoma, 22 for studies in anaplastic astrocytoma and 12 for studies in glioblastoma. Comparing all three glioma entities 7 lncRNAs showed stable expression levels. Addition of normal brain tissue resulted in only 4 suitable lncRNAs. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that 4 lncRNAs (HOXA6as, H19 upstream conserved 1 and 2, Zfhx2as and BC200) are suitable as normalisers in glioma and normal brain. These lncRNAs may thus be regarded as universal references being applicable for the accurate normalisation of lncRNA expression profiling in various glioma (WHO-Grades II-IV) alone and in combination with brain tissue. This enables to perform valid longitudinal studies, e.g. of glioma before and after malignisation to identify changes of lncRNA expressions probably driving malignant transformation